Cowen's History of Life

by Michael Benton (Editor)

A newly revised and fully updated edition of the market-leading introduction to paleontology Designed for students and anyone else with an interest in the history of life on our planet, the new edition of this classic text describes the biological evolution of Earth’s organisms, and reconstructs their adaptations and the ecology and environments in which they functioned. Cowen's History of Life, 6th Edition includes major updates, including substantial rewrites to chapters on the origins of eukaryotes, the Cambrian explosion, the terrestrialization of plants and animals, the Triassic recovery of life, the origin of birds, the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, and human evolution. It also features new chapters on plants, soils and transformation of the land; the Mesozoic marine revolution; and the evolution of oceans and climates. Beginning with the origin of the Earth and the earliest life on earth, the book goes on to offer insightful contributions the evolution of Metazoans; the early vertebrates; life of vertebrates on land; and early amniotes and thermoregulation. The book also looks dinosaur diversity, as well as their demise; early mammals; the rise of modern mammals; the Neogene Savannas; primates; life in the ice ages; and more. Cowen's History of Life, 6th Edition is an ideal book for undergraduate students taking courses in introductory paleontology, as well those on global change and earth systems.

Genres: Science, Palaeontology, Nonfiction, Biology, History

398 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2019

Reviews

[Graham Cammock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miraculous!

Wow! This one of my favourite books I have ever read! It’s honestly quite easy. It covers everything from the first protocell to humans and the ice ages and everything you can imagine in between. I highly recommend this book to everyone!

[Clifford Harpole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We live in a zoologically impoverished world from which all the hugest and fiercest and strangest forms have recently disappeared" - Wallace, 1876

there were so many weird creatures back in the day fr. I wish I had read this a decade earlier. Excellent text book that was exactly what I wanted. Sci-fi writers need to read this and make me Permian Park or Paleogenic Park etc